Client Support Services Department
Support Services Plan 2005 - 2010

The purpose of this document is to provide Client Support Services (CSS) a guiding list of objectives to complete by 2010, building on the strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities identified in the unit self study that was conducted during the summer and fall of 2004. Collaboration with other university units will help to further define the role of CSS. The plan will provide measurable actions and initiatives that the university, Information Technology, and Client Support Services should review and implement where appropriate; and provided adequate funding is approved where needed.

The focus of the Client Support Services Department is one of end-user support and service. The department provides connectivity support, hardware and software support, consulting, training, a central computer help desk, student computing support, computer sales, software distribution, and computer-related knowledge information that is accessible through the web.

The Departmental Support Unit (DSU) is responsible for providing support through email, phone, on-site office visits, remote desktop sharing, online, and in-house depot service for approximately 2,700 faculty and staff in their computing needs, in addition to the employees of cooperating agencies, retirees, graduate assistants, and university adjunct appointments. The number of computers nears 4000 Windows platform systems connected to the UW network, an additional 10 percent of Macintosh computers, an estimated 5 percent of Unix based computers, plus attached printers, scanners, PDAs, and miscellaneous peripherals. The staff provide technical expertise and support for generally utilized Windows and Macintosh operating systems; Office Suite software including browsers and email; computer setup and rebuild of operating systems; installation of applications; troubleshooting and configuration of network access and resources; troubleshooting operational issues; connection and configuration of peripherals; repair of hardware components, systems, and peripherals by vendor certified technicians; and virus and malware detection, removal and protection.

The central university computer Help Desk offers a single point of contact for IT computer services and provides a first call resolution rate of approximately 87%. It is staffed primarily by part-time student assistants who are supervised by expert level full-time IT staff. Customers are able to contact the Help Desk to receive phone, email, online, and remote support for a variety of software, hardware, and computer account assistance.

The Academic Support Unit (ASU) provides support to UW faculty and staff, and to UW's 12,000 students in the use of the academic open computing labs, teaching lab classrooms, computer-aided instruction facilities, remote access to university resources, and instruction delivery to students and faculty. The unit is responsible for providing support and staffing for some 98 student computer labs consisting of 1025 lab nodes, including a 24-hour lab that is accessible to all University students.

Client Support Services administers IT's faculty and staff computer training program that is managed by a Microsoft Certified Professional who brings in-depth, highly technical skills and training of general use applications to the program.

CSS offers a variety of software applications and license maintenance programs to its clients with some applications fully funded by IT, while others are offered at reduced costs. Also available to faculty and staff are rental units – desktop and laptop computers, projectors and peripherals – at a cost efficient model that allows customers temporary use of technology equipment. CSS is responsible for many of the computer knowledge information sheets (How To’s and FAQs) that are made available on Information Technology’s Web pages.

Described below are twelve objectives for Client Support Services, Information Technology, and the University to review and accomplish during the Support Services Plan term. Each action item describes the anticipated effect on productivity, objectives to accomplish, implementation strategies, and benchmarks to ensure continual progress towards meeting these goals. Background information for each action item may be found in CSS’s departmental self study document.

1. Perform analysis of centralized desktop support model to evaluate areas for improvement of service delivery.
2. Study further development of the IT Help Desk process to provide a single point of contact for campus users who seek help with technology. Elevate the value and credibility of the Help Desk to the institution. The Help Desk should resolve problems or relay problems to skills-based experts to be solved within or external to Information Technology.
3. Perform analysis of current student computing environment and support model to evaluate efficiencies and identify potential areas of expansion of student computing services.
4. Assess current physical environment of PC Maintenance facility, service, and staffing requirements to identify ways to improve environment, processes, and customer service.
5. Perform a thorough analysis of the University’s computer purchasing function as provided by Information Technology; determine its viability in its current status; and advise administration of proposed improvements, staffing needs, physical requirements, or alternatives to the service as it exists.
6. Investigate and promote Apple Macintosh support and service that is available through Client Support Services and create opportunities for discussion of expanded or integrated IT services for Macintosh systems.
7. Explore options to expand delivery of varied training course titles to a wider audience – including students – that result in productive use of selected applications and a secure computing environment, while maintaining a high level of satisfaction among registrants.
8. Explore expansion of academic and administrative software titles available for faculty, staff, and student use through centrally administered agreements, departmental agreements, and server distribution.
9. Evaluate the need for and effectiveness of the Information Technology equipment rental program.
10. Examine computer support services that are provided by Client Support Services to UW Fraternity and Sorority Houses to allow for equitable support to this group of users as compared to ResNet users (Residential Network users in the Residence Halls).
11. Evaluate and implement best practices for self-help through utilization of centralized knowledge bases and documentation.
12. Evaluate establishment of an Academic Project & Planning subcommittee to monitor, approve, and organize the myriad academic computing projects that are developed on campus either through APII Action Item 102 – Convene an institution-wide information technology summit, through a reformed Academic Information Technology Committee, or through a new committee.

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Desktop support specialists have many opportunities to assist and train users for best utilization of office computers and related equipment. Besides the Help Desk, the Computer Support Specialists are the frontline of support and therefore have to remain well trained, knowledgeable, and up-to-date in all aspects of PC technology. Support Specialists are in continual contact with users and often are the sole source of information regarding potential problems, so communication among peers and other departments is of utmost importance.

Action Item 1: Centralized desktop support.

Perform an analysis of the centralized desktop support model to evaluate areas for improvement of service delivery.

Anticipated Effect on Productivity:

Information Technology customers should have a better customer service experience by an improved response time through integrated technologies (self-help, remote help, and desk-side assistance); more consistent processes, policies, and configurations; and have reduced downtime so as to return to job productivity sooner.

Objective(s) to Accomplish:

• Improve notification and communication to customers on matters affecting their computer usage
• Build an integrated service delivery model that allows customers to take advantage of self-remedy technologies, or escalate for one-on-one support options to enable quick return to service or resolution
• Increase customer satisfaction by providing a known set of service expectations
• Know the distribution of computer platforms on campus, including operating systems and software deployment, to better manage and upgrade University computer assets
• Improve knowledge, technical, and security skills of professional staff, providing a stable computing environment for the end user
• Ensure that best practices for end user support models are in place
• Maintain or improve current overall customer satisfaction ratings

The following initiatives will be pursued in an effort to accomplish the stated objectives:

• Improve internal process and communication to increase the customer service focus; and improve notification and communication to customers on matters affecting their computer usage.
  
  In cooperation with IT family units, Client Support Services should evaluate technologies, policies, and processes that enable change management, communications, and notification of IT service enhancements and outages. The intent should be to improve internal IT information exchange so that proactive communications may be shared with campus computer users. Based on information from surveys, it is apparent that the most effective way to communicate with campus users is by email. IT should evaluate creative and effective ways to deliver information to its users, and continue notification through the Partners Group.
   
• Evaluate and implement effective utilization of remote support tools, and combine with other technologies towards an integrated service delivery model.
  
  Computer support specialists have not made effective use of the current remote support tool for diagnostic purposes. This may be due to individual style, historical habits, or problems encountered with the product. Survey results and comments from the departmental faculty/staff survey from both 2003 and 2004 indicate that users who have participated in remote support sessions are generally satisfied with the experience. In the spring of 2004, forty-four percent rated their remote support experience above average or better, up from the 33% who rated it above average or better for 2003. As the industry and vendor tools mature, the trend towards remote diagnostics and self-diagnostics, married with remote support, offer an exciting opportunity to enhance and improve this service. Research into other more robust, but affordable technologies will be initiated.
   
• Develop Service Level Goals that explain the types of service and support that are available to campus and define when, how, and from whom those services are received.
  
  CSS may work to develop and negotiate Service Level Goals internally with other IT departments and units as well as sample external departments and colleges for their opinions. Once negotiated and finalized within IT, the goals and expectations may be published for internal and external use.
  
  During the development of Service Level Goals, an evaluation of CSS services may include determining the appropriate balance of providing technical and application support. Desktop support specialists are unable to be knowledgeable of all application packages and all computing platforms. Concentration should be on providing technical expertise and support for generally utilized operating systems, Microsoft Office Suite software including email, and core university applications; computer setup and rebuild of operating systems; installation of applications; troubleshooting and configuration of network access and resources; troubleshooting operational issues, connection and configuration of peripherals; and virus and malware detection, removal and protection. The balance today is tenable, but as diverse applications proliferate on campus, clear expectations will need to be set between Client Support and its customers. The same challenge explained in this section reappears throughout the CSS self study in student computing, the training program, and software distribution. Discussions with constituents and project leads should commence in an effort to outline the most appropriate levels of application knowledge.
   
• Evaluate expansion of desktop services to include the Linux/Unix platform and expand support for the Macintosh platform.
  
  Information Technology’s ability to provide support to Macintosh and Linux/Unix users is very limited. While CSS does provide individual desktop support for the Macintosh platform (there is no formal “support” of backend services – e.g. central antivirus, license management, email functionality, central software distribution file services, or servers - from other Information Technology departments), CSS does not dedicate any resources or training to provide Linux/Unix support.
   
• Evaluate and implement technologies that will enable Information Technology to proactively support and manage the University’s computer assets.
  
  Asset management and tracking capabilities enable central collection of information pertaining to operating system and software environments, allowing the university to analyze desktop and laptop configurations and proactively assist in campus computing upgrades and initiatives.
   
• Increase training opportunities for staff.
  
  To improve and expand its services, desktop support staff will be required to have a more diversified skill set which needs to be delivered with consistency in service.
   
• Analyze staffing models.
  
  Research of other university support models may help determine best practices for desktop support. Flexibility through reallocation of staff during peak periods may result in better customer service. Placing more professional full-time staff at the Help Desk, combined with integrated technology service models, may reduce the number of office visits that are currently required.
   
• Review Home Computing Committee findings and recommendations.
  
  Surveys suggest that faculty and staff desire support for personally-owned computers (home computers) that are used to access university resources. A committee was formed by IT to evaluate the support structure, costs, and expanded service needs. The findings and recommendations of the committee should be reviewed and formally accepted or rejected so that formal policies for support or non-support of personally-owned computers can be developed.

The following benchmarks will be assessed at appropriate intervals to track sustained service goals, improvements, and achievements towards the above stated initiatives:

• Benchmark – Daily, weekly, monthly reports from call tracking system (HEAT) to be reviewed by managers for analyzing trends, peaks, staffing possibilities – implemented August, 2004
  
  Goal – perform more qualitative analysis and determine appropriate staffing models
   
• Benchmark – Remote support tool solution used as final resolution varied from a high of 4.09% to its current low of .92% of all call resolutions including the help desk and desktop support areas - implemented 2003
  
  Goal – obtain and maintain remote support resolutions at or above 5%
   
• Benchmark – Instant, random satisfaction surveys via call tracking system – not in existence today
  
  Goal – implementation of instant survey mechanism
   
• Benchmark - Information Technology division-wide survey of Faculty/Staff - 4.10 satisfaction rating of possible 5 points. Annual Departmental Support Surveys of Faculty/Staff – no specific data available - implemented April 2003, ongoing
  
  Goal – maintain rating above 4.0 out of 5 satisfaction points in IT-administered survey. Expand Departmental Support Survey to benchmark satisfaction rating of consultants based on prompt service, correct first time resolutions, courteous and professional treatment, and response time. Set goal after first benchmark is established.
   
• Benchmark – Campus desktop and laptop distributions are unknown
  
  Goal – Deployment of asset management and tracking utilities
   
• Benchmark – Formal support policies of personally-owned computers is non-existent
  
  Goal – Complete review of Home Support Committee findings and recommendations, and subsequent activities and services defined if accepted

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The Help Desk, which is in operation during normal University business hours, is the frontline support area via phone and email (Userhelp@uwyo.edu) for all computer users on campus. The Help Desk has an opportunity to make the first impression of Information Technology. With proper and ongoing training, the level of assistance the Help Desk is able to provide reflects positively - or negatively - on the entire division.

Setting reasonable expectations with the customer, expanding Help Desk hours of availability, creating an internal paradigm shift towards a central hub of information, and expanding the tools and training available to all agents should improve the operations, credibility, and value of the Help Desk. Virtual expansion of the Help Desk to involve more IT and non-IT units may be considered. The concept of providing a single point of contact can be explored to streamline and capture all related computing calls.

Action Item 2: Information Technology Computer Help Desk

Study further development of the IT Help Desk process to provide a single point of contact for campus users who seek help with technology. Elevate the value and credibility of the Help Desk to the institution. The Help Desk should resolve problems or relay problems to skills-based experts to be solved within or external to Information Technology.

Anticipated Effect on Productivity:

Information Technology customers should have a better customer service experience by an improved response time through integrated technologies (self-help, remote help, and Help Desk agents); more consistent process and policies; and have reduced downtime so as to return to job productivity sooner. Prompt and knowledgeable solutions offered through a central Help Desk reduce the need for stakeholders to seek help from different University offices that provide technology enabled services.

Objective(s) to Accomplish:

• Increase customer satisfaction by providing a known set of service expectations
• Make computer support services more accessible to stakeholders
• Improve value and use of the IT Computer Help Desk for its customers
• Provide single point of contact for customers of core technology-related issues
• Provide more conducive environment for Help Desk operations that allows for phone and walk-in assistance

The following initiatives will be pursued in an effort to accomplish the stated objectives:

• Improve internal process and communication to increase the customer service focus and improve notification and communication to customers on matters affecting their computer usage.
  
  As mentioned on page 4 of the department plan, Client Support Services should evaluate technologies, policies, and processes that enable change management, communications, and notification of IT service enhancements and outages.
   
• Set expectations through development and publishing of Service Level Goals, and standardize the services provided by each consultant.
  
  Each client has a set of expectations. Many times assumptions are made about the type of services that are available. Creating a set of Service Level Goals, which can be referenced by customers, may increase the ability of the Help Desk and consultants to meet those expectations, thus providing an attainable set of expectations and increase customer service. Service Level Goals will also assist departmental support personnel in providing the same level of support to all customers.
   
• Perform cost benefit analysis of expanding Help Desk service hours of availability.
  
  Many academics and staff work beyond scheduled University hours and need assistance from their campus office or while working at home. Students may not always be working from a computer lab on campus. Through expanded Help Desk hours, customers would be able to receive assistance for computer problems and access to University computing resources. Department Support Survey comments from 2003 and 2004 gave some indication that expanded hours especially on Sunday would be extremely helpful.
   
• Define and gain acceptance of the potential impact of the Help Desk as a unified location for centralized technology information flow.
  
  Most often, the first calls received about a problem with systems or network outages or any other widespread computer problems on campus come through the Help Desk and are reported to the appropriate area within IT for resolution. Better promotion both internally in IT and externally to customers that the Help Desk is a centralized place for collecting and distributing information about network, server, web, internet, and other core services that affect a high number of customers may increase its worth to the University.
   
• Investigate the virtual expansion or consolidation of the Help Desk to other IT and non-IT units that provide or are involved with University core technologies (through a single point of contact, redirected to appropriate entity) utilizing systems (phone, Automatic Call Distribution, email, online chat, and/or temporary flexible staffing).
   
• Study the costs to relocate or revamp current workspace and provide noise abatement, better ventilation, and better lighting to create a more productive working environment.
  
  The current space does not allow more than four people to be together at once. The noise level when four people are on the phone, even though noise cancellation headphones are in use, creates a very difficult environment to assist callers because often they cannot be heard. While the current environment also has a 5th station available, it is outside the room and it is difficult to provide supervision or help without walking back and forth between two rooms. There is also no way to allow workforce expansion with adequate individual on-phone workspace, or provide walk-in assistance in a quiet environment.
   
• Increase training opportunities and increase skill sets of help desk agents to provide quick, knowledgeable, and valued services.

The following benchmarks will be assessed at appropriate intervals to track sustained service goals, improvements, and achievements towards the above stated initiatives:

• Benchmark - Daily, weekly, monthly reports from Call Tracking System (HEAT) 1st call resolution of up to 87% - implemented 2003
  
  Goal – obtain and maintain an average first call resolution rate of 85%
   
• Benchmark – Real time, daily, weekly, monthly reports available from ACD telephone tracking system reports current abandon rate is at 18.63% - implemented 2003
  
  Goal – obtain and maintain an average call abandon rate of no more than 5%
   
• Benchmark – Instant, random satisfaction surveys via Call Tracking System (HEAT) not in place at this time
  
  Goal – implementation of instant mechanism
   
• Benchmark – Information Technology division-wide survey of Faculty/Staff – 4.06 satisfaction rating of possible 5 points for Help Desk; Information Technology division wide survey of Students – 3.65 satisfaction rating of possible 5 points for Help Desk. Annual Departmental Support Surveys of Faculty/Staff – overall positive rating of 62% on Help Desk-related questions; 72% positive rating in provision of customer service (based on prompt service, correct 1st time resolution, courteous and professional treatment) - implemented April 2004
  
  Goal – maintain rating at or above 4.0 out of 5 satisfaction points in IT-administered survey. Annual Departmental Support Survey - overall positive rating of 80% or higher on Help Desk-related questions; positive rating of 80% or higher in provision of customer service (based on prompt service, correct 1st time resolution, courteous and professional treatment)
   
• Benchmark – Remote support technology solution used as final resolution varied from a high of 4.09% to its current low of .92% of all call resolutions including the help desk and desktop support areas - implemented 2003
  
  Goal – obtain and maintain combined remote support resolutions at 5%

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UW’s student computer lab environment has been recognized nationally and locally by the UW student body as one of the highest-rated services provided by the University. The 2004 Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction Survey asked students to rate, “Computer labs are adequate and accessible.” Of the top ten items with the highest average satisfaction, UW computer labs ranked first of ten. Of the ten items for which UW is most ahead of national averages, UW’s computer labs ranked second of ten. The student-to-computer ratio of 10:1 is at or better than comparator institutions. The number of labs nodes managed by the ASU is above average, and the number of software applications installed appears to far exceed those of comparator institutions.

The ASU will stay involved in on-going discussions and planning for the Computer Commons/Information Commons expansion in the future ILLC and how best to merge the current redundant computers into one comprehensive computing lab, while making the Libraries’ databases easier to access from all of the UWStudent lab computers.

Information Technology’s involvement in the APII Action Item 103 committee will be invaluable to our consideration of support for instructional technologies.

Action Item 3: Student computing and lab environment

Pursuant to the University’s Learning Environment; Outreach, Extension, and Community Service; Educational Infrastructure; Faculty Development and Program Planning; APII Action Item 103; and APII Action Item 104, perform analyses of current student computing environment and support model to evaluate efficiencies, and identify potential areas of expansion of student computing services.

Anticipated Effect on Productivity:

The services of this unit support the academic mission of the University, which enhances the academic success of its students by providing access to and support of technology infrastructures for general and specialized disciplines. A recent Noel-Levitz survey recognized this as the highest-ranked student service as compared to other universities, which can be used in the recruitment and retention of students.

Objective(s) to Accomplish:

• Maintain and enhance the high level of security, accessibility, and usability of the student computer labs that are administered by Information Technology
• Students and faculty should have quick access to knowledgeable resources regarding academic computing lab usage, software, and central computing resources
• Expand student support on personally-owned computers
• Assist University departments with laptop and computer lab initiatives
• Ensure the development and functionality of technology-enabled classrooms

The following initiatives will be pursued in an effort to accomplish the stated objectives:

• Improve Lab Assistant management and training.
  
  Lab assistant training on core lab software in the past has relied on the individual’s initiative with a monetary incentive. This has not proven entirely successful. Future possibilities are to have mandatory training classes and also look at other members of the Special Interest Groups of University and College Computing Services (SIGUCCS) part-time staffing and training structures. Other possibilities are to work with departments to hire recommended students to provide software-specific knowledge.
   
• Evaluate support of non-traditional institutionally-owned computing devices.
  
  Analyze alternate ways to set up and maintain a controlled computing environment for laptops. Products such as Deepfreeze will allow a reboot refresh initialization of the computing environment as opposed to the current security lockdown used on stationary lab computers.
   
• Evaluate expansion of lab services to include the Linux/Unix and Macintosh platform.
  
  Current staffing, skills, and knowledge resource limitations exist within the Academic Support Unit, which prevent expansion of services. Collaborative analysis with other IT units and Colleges should identify obstacles and determine if any expansion of such services on non-Windows platforms is feasible.
   
• Investigate alternatives to provide support to students for personally-owned computers that are not already supported by Residence Life & Dining Services technology staff (see also Desktop Support - Home Computing).
   
• Continue to implement and support student computing initiatives of and funded by the Central Student Technology Committee and other College student computer fee committees.
   
• In conjunction with UW administration and the Central Student Technology Committee, define the current and future costs of providing technology to students and analyze funding mechanisms, with possible restructure of technology fees proposed in APII Action Item 104.
   
• Consider possible alternatives for providing student technology training similar to the training currently provided to faculty and staff through collaboration with IT Training services, Academic Affairs, and LeaRN,(the Learning Resource Network).
   
• Evaluate results of the committee charged with recommending the appropriate structure to centralize audiovisual and instructional technology pursuant to Action Item 103 of the Academic Plan II.
  
  Instructional technology and support for the classrooms on campus is not handled in a consistent manner by the university, nor funded appropriately, nor managed centrally. The Academic Support Unit concurs with the Academic Plan II Action Item 103 to address such inconsistencies, and the recommendations of the committee will be implemented as necessary. The results may or may not involve expansion or transition of certain ASU services.
   
• Utilizing cooperative discussion with academic units as well as the Academic Plan II Areas of Distinction and Action Items, identify academic technology areas currently underserved and provide comprehensive recommendations to executive management on critical areas of concentration.
   
• Evaluate and if appropriate, expand and realign staffing model and space for student computing and academic lab support.
  
  Many of the proposed expansions of student computing services are dependent on increasing staff resources and the ASU is able to offer very few additional services in its current state.

The following benchmarks will be assessed at appropriate intervals to track sustained service goals, improvements, and achievements towards the above stated initiatives:

• Benchmark - Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction Survey, UW Computer labs ranked 1st of 10 of Top Ten Items with the Highest Average Satisfaction. UW Computer labs ranked 2nd of 10 for Ten Items for which UW is most ahead of National Averages – implemented 2004
  
  Goal - maintain Noel-Levitz ranking in the top ten categories
   
• Benchmark – Information Technology division-wide survey of students – general access computing labs 4.25 satisfaction rating of possible 5 points – the highest of all IT services; UW computing lab assistants 3.79 satisfaction rating of possible 5 points - implemented April 2004 for Student Computing
  
  Goal – obtain and maintain rating at or above 4.0 out of 5 satisfaction points in IT-administered survey
   
• Benchmark – Information Technology division-wide survey of Faculty/Staff – 3.94 satisfaction rating of possible 5 points - implemented April 2004 for Student Computing
  
  Goal – achieve and maintain rating at or above 4.0 out of 5 satisfaction points in IT-administered survey
   
• Benchmark - number of lab nodes supported or available via remote technology by ASU, Spring 2004 – 1025
  
  Goal – increase linear growth of lab nodes supported and available by 5% each year 2005 – 2009
   
• Benchmark – student-to-computer ratio of IT-managed lab nodes 2004 – current ratio is 10.1:1
  
  Goal – achieve student–to-computer ratio of 8:1
   
• Benchmark - university-wide student-to-computer ratio 2004, current ratio (estimated due to lack of knowledge of college-maintained labs) is 7.1:1
  
  Goal – uncontrollable by IT, but track ratios
   
• Benchmark - student logins per year recorded in IT-managed lab nodes, 2004 – 1.6 million
  
  Goal – maintain usage statistics and develop benchmarks based on number of logins, duration of logins, usage and saturation levels, software utilization, and demographics of student logins by lab. Adjust lab node placement and quantity if evidence supports the need
   
• Benchmark - number of software packages evaluated and installed for faculty teaching purposes, 2004 – 178 unique software installations on IT-managed lab nodes
  
  Goal – maintain current number of applications and increase if needed based on faculty and committee recommendations
   
• Another benchmark would be established through semester surveys with specific items carried from semester to semester. Additional surveys may be used to gauge targeted issues. One of the surveys shall be distributed from the labs; the other would be general campus-wide or dependent on IT division-wide annual survey. Some isolated surveys would be used to track items such as the increase of laptop usage, or how students utilize the campus computing resources.

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The PC Maintenance Unit has a certified, knowledgeable technician that provides quality repair services in the shortest time possible to all campus locations on supported standard machines. The services provided by the PC Maintenance Unit are required to keep computer equipment and peripherals operational so customers may continue their productivity. As the number of PC’s, laptops, printers, and peripherals increase, PC Maintenance will need to continue to improve training of the staff to assure that they can provide the services required.

Action Item 4: PC Maintenance facility

Assess current physical environment of PC Maintenance facility, service, and staffing requirements to identify ways to improve environment, processes, and customer service.

Anticipated Effect on Productivity:

Provide high quality, personalized, on-campus, cost-efficient diagnostic and hardware repair services for quick return to productivity for all faculty and staff, and for student computer lab facilities.

Objective(s) to Accomplish:

• Maintain or improve acceptable service delivery to reduce customer downtime, including student computing labs
• Service availability, expectation, and eligibility is known by customers
• Ensure adequate space and safety requirements are met

The following initiatives will be pursued in an effort to accomplish the stated objectives:

• Analyze revenue and staffing opportunities to facilitate faster repairs, mitigate downtime or interruption of service due to lack of personnel, and lessen time required to process paperwork for both internal and external charges and reimbursements.
  
  By removing some of the basic technical and administrative functions from the current technician position, more time may be available to prepare for and take required vendor certification tests, to take training courses to build skills on additional equipment, to facilitate repair fixes that currently require return to vendor, and to allow more reimbursements to be collected for repairs performed. Additional staffing would also allow more time to better train part-time assistants to provide improved technical field support and customer service.
   
• Collaborate with Transportation and Parking Services to outline opportunities to improve access and parking for service vehicles to facilitate pickup and delivery of equipment (especially heavy equipment).
  
  The transport of heavy equipment in the form of business printers and scanners, or multiple computers and equipment, make it very necessary to have covered, lockable transportation and available parking in close proximity to all building entrances to facilitate easy pickup and delivery of such items.
   
• Study costs to provide expanded hours for pickup and delivery of institutionally-owned equipment for repair (depot service).
  
  Many people do not want to wait for IT’s pickup and delivery services or cannot be in their offices at scheduled pickup and delivery times. To offer an additional time before or after normal business hours for pickup or drop off of equipment by the customer at the IT service area would provide more customer convenience and possibly quicker repair time.
   
• Communicate provided services and publish Service Level Goals.
  
  Correct information available to both internal and external clients about the services provided and how they are provided will set clear expectations for service at the beginning of a relationship.
   
• Work in partnership with Facilities Planning and Risk Management to facilitate space utilization to provide adequate working area for possible additional staff as well as a safe, ventilated location for proper equipment cleaning and repair.
   
• Pursue proper inventory tracking and accounting system needs with IT Business Services.

The following benchmarks will be assessed at appropriate intervals to track sustained service goals, improvements, and achievements towards the above stated initiatives:

• Benchmark – Track all funds received for services and disbursed for purchases via approved accounting package – implemented July 2004
  
  Goal – Capture all transactions correctly and adhere to audit criteria
   
• Benchmark – Accurate tracking and accounting for all physical inventory utilized by PC Sales and Maintenance – implemented January 2004
  
  Goal – Physical counts on a quarterly basis with annual reporting with +/- 1% error ratio
   
• Benchmark - customer satisfaction of service (currently combined with Apple Maintenance); Annual Departmental Support Surveys of Faculty/Staff – overall positive rating of 88% - implemented 2004
  
  Goal – maintain overall customer satisfaction at or above 85%; separate benchmarking questions for PC and Apple on future Departmental Survey.

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PC Sales and Consulting continues to increase in popularity and customers benefit from the tailored offerings that have blossomed from incremental expansion of the service. The unit has maximized its capabilities in its current existence.

Action Item 5: PC Sales and Consulting

Perform a thorough analysis of the University’s computer purchasing function as provided by Information Technology; determine its viability in its current status; and advise administration of proposed improvements, staffing needs, physical requirements, or alternatives to the service as it exists.

Anticipated Effect on Productivity:

Any results of the above investigation of feasible alternatives should result in savings to the University, more standardization of computing equipment, easier deployment of asset management activities, reduced total cost of ownership, and appropriate placement and staffing for purchasing activities.

Objective(s) to Accomplish:

• Enable the most efficient processes to purchase computing equipment, components, and peripherals
• Ensure pricing models for institutional purchases are cost-effective
• Assist in providing standard business-class desktop computer equipment
• Ensure consultation is available to customers so that they are advised of most cost-effective choices for upgrades, repair, or replacement

The following initiatives will be pursued in an effort to accomplish the stated objectives:

• Evaluate whether this service should continue in its present form and whether return on investment covers the amount of effort required.
  
  PC Sales & Consulting provides many opportunities to give assistance to departments in the purchase of their computer and computer-related equipment. It also gives IT an opportunity to encourage equipment standards. The question remains, however, as to whether services can be continued without additional administrative staff, as the overall workload has increased more than was anticipated. The staff member performing the sales function transitioned from a repair technician role. Where IT once had two PC technicians, there is now only one and the workload for repairs has increased, not decreased. Creating this sales position, while providing a service to campus, has caused three distinct service units to arise: PC Sales & Consulting; PC Maintenance & Repair; and Apple Sales, Consulting and Repair. Each has only one FTE available to perform many duties outside of the main purpose of the position. Because of the specialization of the positions and the workload for each, it is difficult to cover any one position during vacations, absences, or required certification activities. This can cause delays in service and purchasing.
   
• Evaluate ways to improve communications, including better advertising of services provided and procedures to follow for purchasing computer equipment for institutional and personal purposes.
  
  According to the annual Departmental Support Surveys, many on campus are unaware of the sales and consulting services that are offered. More exposure might be provided by conducting internal and external meetings with consultants and other units and departments as necessary; utilization of campus distribution lists; notificatios through Partners Group and fliers to departmental purchasers; email notifications of special information; and participation in various campus-wide events promoting campus services.
   
• Research and develop internal processes to capture point-of-sale information, cash position, and inventory.
  
  Access to cash position and inventory on a real-time basis would be helpful for determining what items to purchase and when this should be done. While the unit maintains an inventory database, the cash positions are not fully captured in this database as the unit does not receive or have ready access to the information. A better mechanism for tracking or access to the information is currently being researched.
   
• Analyze revenue and staffing opportunities to facilitate more proactive sales and customer follow-up.
  
  Currently the sales position processes all paperwork, coordinates order placement, processes funds, maintains relationships through customer calls and contacts, and tracks receipt and payment. Administrative support would remove many of the labor-intensive backend paperwork processing functions and allow the position to concentrate on order placement and receipt, and consultation and follow-up with clients. Better time management would result because there would be more time available for organization. The current overall workload has increased with no increase in assistance or backup availability.
   
• Evaluate facilities available for sales function.
  
  The current location and space is not available for sales demonstration units and client consultation. The confined area that the staff member has for an office is not conducive to in-person consultation visits by customers. Space exists that might be utilized for such purposes; however, heavy remodeling and relocation of building entrance availability might be required.
  
  Alternatively, IT may consider the feasibility of relocation of the sales facilities. The PC Sales function is currently hampered by space limitations, accessibility, location, and marketability. To increase the potential for revenue and service to the university community, one alternative proposed is that the PC Sales functions become more formalized and central to the campus. An initial pilot of a “store front” may be considered in the Wyoming Union or other Laramie campus location, combined with the above-mentioned personal home computing support and depot service. The combination of the two functions would expand service to the University’s student, faculty, and staff populations. By increasing the visibility of the sales and service, there is a potential to ensure the viability of a revenue source for expanded technical and sales services. Increased revenue may add to the ability of IT to continue to provide a self-sufficient program and provide funding for the much-needed accounting, administrative, sales, and technical staff required to maintain and increase the value-added function.
   
• Evaluation of purchasing function when and if “university standards” are accepted and achieved.
  
  Converse to the expanded sales presence, another option to consider for the future is whether the purchasing service should be maintained through an IT unit, or if the consultative services add enough value to the consumers to continue in its current state. Some institutions have developed a strong enough initiative through the support of their respective Administrations and the central university Purchasing/Procurement Office to develop established vendor standards (i.e., Dell, Hewlett Packard, Gateway, Macintosh) that are generally considered to be acceptable purchases in accordance with industry-recognized “Total Cost of Ownership” philosophies. This does not preclude purchase of non-general equipment by any means. However, other institutions have devised a checks-and-balances effort through ensuring that IT approves non-general departmental computer equipment when and if the Purchasing department observes irregularities or an item is not already on an approved standards list. A Partners Program sub-committee already determines a set of recommended business-class desktop computers, which is evaluated annually. If there comes a time when it is appropriate and the University wishes to adopt such a process, a model by which Partners sets the standards, Purchasing has the authority to flag purchases for IT review, and IT approves based on appeal by the requesting department could be evaluated.
   
• Investigate the feasibility and cost effectiveness of centralized computer purchase or lease, maintenance and support, and provide recommendations to executive management on potential cost-saving measures that fit UW’s strategic plans.
  
  The university spent approximately $4.64 million on Dell, Gateway, and HP/Compaq computer systems and equipment during the FY03 – FY04 biennium. A little more than $1 million of the purchases were for student computer labs that are administered by Information Technology, but not necessarily funded by the Central Student Technology Committee. The remaining $3.62 million should represent office desktops, laptops, PC tablets, research lab computers, college computer labs (mostly those that are not using the College Computer Fee established in 1997), and central and departmental servers. A central funding model has been developed and estimated based on 3- and 4- year replacement of desktop computer equipment (not including printers). The estimates are based on office desktop configurations as recommended by the Partners Program sub-committee.
  
  It has been estimated that if UW (not necessarily IT) provided central procurement and a 4-year life cycle replacement of 3500 desktops (1/4 each of the four years), the University would spend approximately $1.3 million a year, or $2.625 million per biennium, saving UW approximately $993,750 over the biennium. Variations on the model:
  
  

  Replacement cycle	Estimated desktops/ laptops	Replacement each year	Total estimated cost per yr	Total biennium cost	Potential UW savings over biennium
  4-year	3500	875	$1,312,500	$2,625,000	$993,753
  4-year	3000	750	$1,125,000	$2,250,000	$1,368,753
  3-year	3500	1167	$1,750,000	$3,500,000	$118,753
  3-year	3000	1000	$1,500,000	$3,000,000	$618,753

  
  
  Collaboration with Administrative leaders would help guide the direction of the initiative and may possibly be addressed under APII Action Item 102, Convene an institution-wide information technology summit - or through the formation of another committee.

The following benchmarks will be assessed at appropriate intervals to track sustained service goals, improvements, and achievements towards the above stated initiatives:

• Benchmark – Purchase activity tracked in call logging system (Dell Computer purchases only):, tracks all purchases of Dell CPU’s and monitors and calculates commissions; allows checks and balances against Dell – implemented April 2004
  
  Goal – determine if this is most efficient method of tracking and implement new method if current system is not effective
   
• Benchmark – Dell Commission Report: confirms purchasing load on a monthly basis for Dell products only and is used to manually check commissions– implemented April 2004
  
  Goal – effectively maintain $3,500 in commissions on a monthly basis.
   
• Benchmark – Monthly procurement card log: manual process to report all purchases utilizing UW procurement card to UW Accounting – implemented 2002
  
  Goal – Automate the log
   
• Benchmark – Annual transactions either processed or facilitated by PC Sales, FY 2004 were $922,218.
  
  Goal – maintain annual transaction total of no less than $1,000,000
   
• Benchmark – 2003 and 2004 Biennium computer purchases by institution amount to approximately $4.64 million (institutional benchmark)
  
  Goal – reduction of total institutional dollars expended for end-user computing (institutional goal)

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The Apple Maintenance Unit provides a certified, knowledgeable hardware repair technician who possesses an exquisite customer service focus that offers authorized Apple warranty repair service for students, staff, and faculty on both institutional and personally-owned equipment. The unit also offers software consultation and problem resolution for Macintosh software, providing one-stop shop for both hardware and software information and repair. Client Support Services does provide a proportionate amount of individual desktop support to Macintosh users (10% of campus users; one FTE assigned to support hardware and software problems and additional .1 FTE to respond to quick Help Desk calls). From CSS’s 2004 Annual Departmental Support Survey, there were responses that indicated that Macintosh users on campus are not aware of the services that are available.

Action Item 6: Apple Macintosh Support

Investigate and promote Apple Macintosh support and service that is available through Client Support Services and create opportunities for discussion of expanded or integrated IT services for Macintosh systems.

Anticipated Effect on Productivity:

Ensuring continued functionality to Macintosh users through repair and consulting services should keep downtime to a minimum and increase productivity for those users who are dependent upon the Macintosh platform for their discipline.

Objective(s) to Accomplish:

• Increase user base knowledge of and satisfaction with Apple/Macintosh product support
• Ensure University Apple/Macintosh purchases and warranty work result in revenue to the institution to support focused desktop service

The following initiatives will be pursued in an effort to accomplish the stated objectives:

• Promote existing Apple Macintosh desktop services.
  
  An informational campaign via Partners’ and IT websites and email direction to the websites might be avenues to explore.
   
• Review and evaluate contracts with vendor to determine requirements for reimbursement for services provided.
  
  For other computer vendors on campus there are currently avenues of reimbursement in return for providing specific services to the campus community. There is a similar arrangement with Apple that could be entered into in addition to IT’s current contracts that would enable the ability to recoup costs for services that are currently provided. It would be advantageous to review and potentially negotiate this agreement.
   
• Collaborate with University entities to develop communication avenues for Macintosh clients and Information Technology units.
  
  While there are system developments by Apple that continue to make the platform more compatible for utilizing Windows technology, there is no current forum for discussion of these developments and how they might be more fully integrated into a support model. It would be advantageous to develop a forum on campus and perhaps be a liaison between it and IT's TSS group to investigate new developments with the platform that might lend themselves to the provision of more backend support that can take advantage of centralized services.

The following benchmarks will be assessed at appropriate intervals to track sustained service goals, improvements, and achievements towards the above stated initiatives:

• Benchmark – Tracking of hardware repair calls received and resolved – implemented 2002
  
  Goal – formal analysis of hardware repair calls on quarterly basis to determine increase/decrease in service levels provided and whether reimbursement levels are appropriate
   
• Benchmark – Tracking of software consultation break/fix calls received and resolved – implemented 2002
  
  Goal – formal analysis of software related calls to determine increase/decrease of service level and number of employees required to support
   
• Benchmark – Monthly procurement card log: manual process to report all purchases utilizing UW procurement card to UW Accounting – implemented 2002
  
  Goal – automate preparation of log
   
• Benchmark - customer satisfaction of service (currently combined with PC Maintenance); Annual Departmental Support Surveys of Faculty/Staff – overall positive rating of 88% - implemented 2004
  
  Goal – maintain overall customer satisfaction at or above 85%; separate benchmarking questions for PC and Apple on future Departmental Survey

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The Training Program is administered by a Microsoft Certified Professional who brings in-depth, highly technical skills and training of general-use applications to the program. The training program is advanced when measured against comparator institutions; and it operates efficiently with the current level of staff, which is less than the number of instructors at other institutions. IT offers more instructional hours to faculty and staff than any comparator institution listed. Areas exist where more diverse and varied training courses may more fully define the role of the Training Program. Student instruction is not available through the IT Training Program. IT is not able to expand the space, staffing, or hardware/software environment for student instruction. Suggestions will be researched and pursued from IT and with identified parties to expand computer and application training to students.

Action Item 7: IT Training Program

Explore options to expand delivery of varied training course titles to a wider audience – including students – that result in productive use of selected applications and a secure computing environment, while maintaining a high level of satisfaction among registrants.

Anticipated Effect on Productivity:

Faculty, staff, and students should experience gains in productivity in secure, safe computing environments.

Objective(s) to Accomplish:

• Offer a variety of instructional workshops that are accessible to faculty, staff, and students in an environment that is ADA compliant
• Equip registrants with the tools, skills, knowledge, and abilities to be productive in their daily tasks, using appropriate software and contributing to the maintenance of a safe and secure computing environment
• Provide state-of-the-art computer instruction environment
• Maintain high rate of customer satisfaction ratings from workshop evaluations

The following initiatives will be pursued in an effort to accomplish the stated objectives:

• Expand course offerings and availability
  
  IT should concentrate on University resources and networked environments, while perhaps combining efforts with other entities to orchestrate instruction on personally-owned computer hardware. Surveys suggest that UW faculty and staff are interested in expansion in this area.
  
  Education of individual user responsibilities would help to change some practices of the average computer user, giving them an opportunity to understand security, spyware, patching, service packs, viruses, firewalls and guidelines to ensure a safe computing environment. Home users also may benefit from this type of seminar because the same practices may be applied to personally-owned computers. By combining a Security Seminar with the current Windows Operating system workshop, and a non-credit hardware workshop, the home user may be better equipped to manage and administer personal systems, making users more productive from home.
  
  Staff will evaluate alternative scheduling of the Web Lab to expand hours of availability for customers whose schedules do not allow flexibility to attend the recurring weekly offering.
  
  Training staff should continue evaluation and pursuit of online registration services that will provide the robust capabilities of current database functions, while also facilitating registrations without heavy human intervention.
  
  Investigate creative and effective methods to market and educate UW customers on the program availability.
   
• Define terminologies outlining “standard,” “supported,” “recommended,” and “provided” software.
  
  More diverse course offerings would entail two changes: 1) Exploration of a renewed approach to support models. One expectation might need to be changed from the consultants being generalists in “supported” applications to instead being the resource to provide technology and infrastructure support. Emphasis on training classes would be more important than ever. This allows for growth of course titles without negatively impacting the support specialists. 2) Initiation of dialogue with TSS to expand “standards” list and backend services.
  
  Create and publish definitions of software delivery models with table/chart outlining support expectation (standard, supported, recommended, and provided.)
   
• Examine opportunities to provide student training courses and student access to expertise.
  
  Consider possible alternatives for providing student technology training similar to the training currently provided to faculty and staff through collaboration with IT Training services, Student Affairs, Academic Affairs, and LeaRN (the Learning Resource Network). Student application and computer instruction may be best served through a student technology instruction center. It is unknown if LeaRN or another entity would be appropriate for such instruction.

The following benchmarks will be assessed at appropriate intervals to track sustained service goals, improvements, and achievements towards the above stated initiatives:

• Benchmark - number of individual course titles and hours of instruction, 2004 – 79 classes delivered, 950 hours of instruction
  
  Goal - Maintain average of 80 individual classes, and deliver approximately 950 hours of combined instruction per year through various delivery methods (instructor-led, one-on-one, web lab, computer-based, self-paced, and special request)
   
• Benchmark - course titles available, 2004 – current offering is centered around Microsoft and Adobe products
  
  Goal - Offer technology- and user-appropriate titles beyond Microsoft and Adobe
   
• Benchmark - network speed of data transfer from/to central servers and internet, 2004 - appears to be less than adequate from and to the current training resources in Wyo Hall
  
  Goal - Fast network access to local servers; transfer rates should be multi-megabits per second
   
• Benchmark - registration process, 2004 - is manually (and effectively) handled through a combination of intervention by a staff assistant and management using Access databases and email
  
  Goal - Online registration capabilities that allow for online registration, enrollment tracking, registrant history, credit balance, email notice for confirmation and wait list
   
• Benchmark - student instruction opportunities, 2004 – none exist other than limited ASU short courses
  
  Goal - Student technology and instruction evaluation and recommendation
   
• Benchmark - Workshop Evaluation ratings, 2004 – current average is 3.7 or above for three sub-sections: Instructor subsection average 3.8, workshop materials 3.6, and environment 3.7
  
  Goal - Workshop Evaluation ratings should be at or above 3.25 average out of possible 4 for each subsection
   
• Benchmark – Information Technology division wide survey – 3.99 satisfaction rating of possible 5 points - implemented April 2004 for Training
  
  Goal – achieve and maintain rating at or above 4.0 out of 5 satisfaction points in IT administered survey

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The institution could improve on the number of centrally-managed and -distributed software packages, as compared to other institutions. Expansion of software titles that Information Technology distributes through centralized licensing, administration, and server availability would serve the needs of more users. Funding models need to be evaluated, as do server administration, support, and review and decision models.

Information Technology, along with departments or a governing body, may review and collaboratively determine definitions of (and approaches to) standard, supported, recommended, and provided software.

Action Item 8: Software acquisition, distribution, and support

Explore expansion of academic and administrative software titles available for faculty, staff, and student use through centrally administered agreements, departmental agreements, and server distribution.

Anticipated Effect on Productivity:

Increased software distribution to faculty, staff, and students would place needed applications at the hands of the users at a potentially reduced cost to the University or consumer. Additionally, if agreements allow for student utilization, students would not be as bound to the academic labs across campus unless very specific discipline applications cannot be licensed for their use.

Objective(s) to Accomplish:

• Deliver needed software to University customers in a cost-efficient manner

The following initiatives will be pursued in an effort to accomplish the stated objective:

• Explore expansion of software titles that Information Technology distributes through centralized licensing, administration, and server availability to serve the needs of more users. Funding models would need to be evaluated, as would server administration and support.
  
  Consider creation of a review committee, either a newly formed committee, or resulting from APII, Action Item 102 to convene and institution-wide information technology summit, that could be charged with centralized review of software requests. The committee would be responsible for accepting software review requests, surveying the University to determine the need, determining the appropriate funding model and funding source(s), working with Information Technology for technical evaluation, determining support models, and providing final recommendations to Information Technology and written responses to the requesting parties. Authority and recognition by the University administration and Deans must accompany the creation of such a committee.
  
  To support expanded software deployment on campus, a study may be required to consider the shift of customer support services to that of the technology rather than specific expertise in multiple software packages. Areas to consider are education of support models that would need to be shared, review of general application support; and a potential paradigm shift in the support that is available for technology - balanced with increasing software availability. A comfortable and reasonable balance of technical support (installation and configuration) and the application use and support should be weighed. Some application support may fall to that of the requesting parties, users of the software, and in some cases to the IT Training Program.
  
  Collaboration of UW departments, the proposed committee, and Information Technology departments may determine definitions of standard, supported, recommend, and provided software. A matrix of software titles and support options could be developed and placed on the web.
  
  Review Microsoft Campus Agreement and Select Agreement Student Options that would allow students to obtain core software for their personally-owned computers.

The following benchmarks will be assessed at appropriate intervals to track sustained service goals, improvements, and achievements towards the above stated initiatives:

• Benchmark – Information Technology division-wide survey, 4.08 satisfaction rating of possible 5 points - implemented April 2004 for IT Software Licensing
  
  Goal – maintain rating at or above 4.0 out of 5 possible satisfaction points in IT-administered survey
   
• Benchmark - The number of centrally-licensed and -administered software applications is 7 (not including student lab software), including Windows, Office, multiple Microsoft applications, two statistical packages, Trend Antivirus, Exceed, and a math package - implemented November 2004
  
  Goal - Increase number of centrally-licensed packages where a central committee provides appropriate funding through review and recommendation
   
• Benchmark - distribution of antivirus to faculty, staff, and students 2004– approximately 2650 antivirus CDs were distributed
  
  Goal – distribution of “Welcome to UW” CDs to all users, reducing threat of malware, viruses, vulnerabilities through attacks, and increased network stability
   
• Benchmark: The number of centrally-distributed or license key server supported software packages not purchased by Information Technology is two
  
  Goal: Increase number of centrally distributed or license key server supported software packages not paid for by IT

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IT’s rental service provides cost-effective access to technology that may only be needed on a temporary or occasional basis; whether it is for emergency back-up for customers whose own equipment has broken and is in for repair, or waiting on replacements – thus minimizing downtime for the customer; or for short-term needs for demonstrations, conferences, or work sessions. In some cases, customers may enjoy the benefit of trying and testing current technology before making a decision to purchase specific equipment for departmental use.

While opportunities exist to expand the rental equipment service to students, the administration of such a program may not be the most prudent investment of personnel resources or state fiscal resources.

Action Item 9: IT Equipment Rental

Evaluate the need for and effectiveness of the Information Technology equipment rental program.

Anticipated Effect on Productivity:

If it is found that the primary consumer of the service is Information Technology, that productivity may be best served by providing IT-owned equipment to IT departments through centralized budgeting of IT resources. The removal of the service would reduce the time consumed on administering the program and allow CSS staff to embrace administration of other services such as increased software licensing administration and distribution, increased training enrollments, and more concentration on managing the CSS Front Office for guiding faculty, staff, and students to receive assistance from IT division services.

Effects on university departments may be that they are fiscally responsible for purchasing equipment for use by their departments.

Objective(s) to Accomplish:

• Utilize existing personnel and equipment for the core mission of the institution, and do so in a cost effective manner

The following initiatives will be pursued in an effort to accomplish the stated objectives:

• Conduct an analysis of equipment checkout trends and determine whether the service should continue.
  
  Preliminary review indicates the primary consumer of this service is Information Technology itself. If the usage and revenue do not justify the continuance of the program, recommendations to the Vice President of Information Technology may be to discontinue the service.

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Client Support Services provides support to Fraternities and Sororities in the area of spyware/malware, viruses, software patches, and networking that is not provided by any other group on campus. Support could be expanded by allowing house visits or providing more training to the House technology person.

Action Item 10: Fraternities and Sororities computer support

Examine computer support services that are provided by Client Support Services to UW Fraternity and Sorority Houses to allow for equitable support to this group of users as compared to ResNet users (Residential Network users in the Residence Halls).

Anticipated Effect on Productivity:

Currently when a resident of a Fraternity or Sorority house is infected with a virus that poses a threat to the university network or other residents of the house, the house switch may be disabled until the problem is corrected. This effectively renders all house occupants’ computers non-functional for network activity (gaining access to class files on central servers, access to the Internet, access to email). Increased support through staffing appointments would allow for quicker resolution of problems so that students are able to conduct academic computing tasks.

Objective(s) to Accomplish:

• Ensure Fraternity and Sorority House residents have comparable support that is provided to Residence Hallbrupanbr

The following initiatives will be pursued in an effort to accomplish the stated objective:

• Evaluate whether support could be expanded by allowing house visits or providing more training to the appointed House technology resident, and by providing appropriate level of funding for technical support staff.

The following benchmarks will be assessed at appropriate intervals to track sustained service goals, improvements, and achievements towards the above stated initiative:

• Benchmark - distribution of antivirus to students of Residence Life and Dining services (Resnet) including Married Student Housing, and Fraternities and Sororities – approximately 2040 antivirus CDs were distributed
  
  Goal – distribution to all residential network users, reducing threat of malware, viruses, vulnerabilities through attacks, and increased network stability
   
• Benchmark - communication effectiveness to House technology person – unknown
  
  Goal – proactive communication with IT and reaction from Houses towards corrective measures by House Technology person

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The institution of knowledge management within IT has been helpful internally because information is now more centralized, organized, and easier to locate. Externally, it has provided the first steps to self-help because of those same factors. Knowledge Management within the department not only benefits IT as a whole, but will be of great help to campus computer users as well. Development of a data repository of policies, procedures, FAQ’s, How To’s, application help, hardware troubleshooting techniques, etc., that can be accessed by campus computer users will, over time, provide avenues for most everyone to problem solve/resolve computer-related issues. As more self-help is available, staffing of desktop support personnel may be realigned to staff the call-in service or expand hours of operation and services.

Action Item 11: Knowledge management

Evaluate and implement best practices for self-help through utilization of centralized knowledge bases and documentation.

Anticipated Effect on Productivity:

Knowledge empowers users by providing both the IT professional and end user with current and correct documentation in a centralized and easily-accessible location, which should result in self-help opportunities for end users to more quickly adopt and implement resolutions for computer needs, and provide IT professionals access to documented solutions to increase first call resolution.

Objective(s) to Accomplish:

• Stakeholders are aware of and know how to retrieve useful UW computer-related information from Information Technology web pages
• UW faculty, staff, and students should be able to find and implement self-help solutions for appropriate application installation, configuration of remote access utilities, UW computer account requests, hardware troubleshooting and/or requests for repair of institutionally-owned computers, and selected application uses
• Computer-related Information should be easy to locate
• Reduced calls to the IT Help Desk and Computer Support Specialists as a result of more users being able to implement resolutions without IT intervention

The following initiatives will be pursued in an effort to accomplish the stated objectives:

• Better marketing of knowledge base services provided.
  
  Client Support should promote utilization of the AskIT web site within all departments of IT, including promoting internal communication of the available documentation assistance from the knowledge management position to IT project managers, system developers, and programmers.
   
• Provide training and incentives for self-help and knowledge base use.
  
  Training and incentives for CSS (especially Help Desk) to utilize available internal resources and knowledge bases, as well as incentives within IT to submit documents for publishing (e.g. providing rewards for submitting correct documentation within the call tracking system for building of the knowledge base) will be explored. Other ways to provide incentives for the use of self-help by the campus community will be studied.
   
• The desire is to have full utilization and integration of the call tracking product with knowledge base software.
  
  Perform a full review of knowledge base software (HPK) provided by FrontRange Solutions to determine whether its functionality is viable for IT needs and programmable with its current environment, including review of purchasing already-developed knowledge packs that may integrate with a knowledge base system.

The following benchmarks will be assessed at appropriate intervals to track sustained service goals, improvements, and achievements towards the above stated initiatives:

• Benchmark – Feedback Tool and database on AskIT site – fully implemented October 2004
  
  Goal – maintain 70% positive feedback in comments and responses on a quarterly evaluation basis
   
• Benchmark - Annual Departmental Support Faculty/Staff Survey – implemented April 2004
  
  Goal – raise awareness of site by 50%
   
• Benchmark – UW Website Usage reports – implemented May 2004
  
  Goal – quarterly analysis of website usage stats to determine usage (will be helpful in meeting awareness goal)
   
• Benchmark – knowledge base system implementation
  
  Goal – Maintain external knowledge availability via web (external AskIT)
  
  Goal – Phase II – evaluation of tools for knowledge base system and selection of best tool and approach for development
  
  Goal – Phase III – if evaluation results in decision to pursue knowledge base application, development and testing of selected tool
  
  Goal – Phase IV – implementation of tool including structure and documentation for proper usage; internal training
   
• Benchmark implemented April, 2004 for IT’s Help Web pages – Information Technology division-wide survey of Faculty/Staff – 3.73 satisfaction rating of possible 5 points
  
  Goal – achieve and maintain rating above 4.0 out of 5 satisfaction points in IT-administered survey
   
• Benchmark implemented April, 2004 for IT’s Help Web pages – Information Technology division-wide survey of students – 3.61 satisfaction rating of possible 5 points
  
  Goal – achieve and maintain rating above 4.0 out of 5 satisfaction points in IT-administered survey

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The Academic Support Unit is frequently involved, or should be involved, in many computer lab, teaching classroom, and technology enabled lecture room developments and renovations. Additionally, there are projects on campus that are in planning stages where IT could contribute valuable input.

Individual units of the University have made technology decisions and purchases without consulting IT to determine if the project, requirements, and services are completely or partially available through a central source.

Action Item 12: Academic Projects & Planning

Evaluate establishment of an Academic Project & Planning subcommittee to monitor, approve, and organize the myriad academic computing projects that are developed on campus through APII Action Item 102 – Convene an institution-wide information technology summit, through a reformed Academic Information Technology Committee, or through a new committee.

Anticipated Effect on Productivity:

Well planned projects that eliminate redundancy in services, that reduce additional expenses, and that are managed through project management philosophies should better serve the students and faculty of the University. An oversight committee should be aware of all academic computing and technology related initiatives on campus; and may help determine long term viability and fiscal resources of any given project that receives one-time funding.

Objective(s) to Accomplish:

• Recognition at the University level that technology is embedded in the learning environment, and appropriate representation is brought to the table so that knowledge is available to decision makers
• Colleges and units are aware of pre-existing services that are offered from IT as centralized services in the support of academic computing
• Information Technology is aware of strategic initiatives and key decisions on campus that involve development of policies, assignment of staff, accounts, or computer-supported environments and access so that IT is adequately prepared to support the initiatives
• Project planning and participation is used to provide a bi-directional communication channel between IT and other Academic and student support units across the University to help with technology decisions and initiatives
• Ongoing support and replacement of technology-based initiatives are identified and considered in the initial evaluation of a total project

The following initiatives will be pursued in an effort to accomplish the stated objectives:

• Establish a central review and project planning committee for academic technology-enabled environments through the APII Action Item 102, or appointed by Executive administration including ECTL, Facilities Planning, and IT staff.
   
• Determine the breadth of the recommendations of the APII Action Item 103 committee – Centralize audiovisual equipment and instructional technologies - to determine the impact and required interactions with any newly-formed entity charged with planning and project management of academic technology projects.
   
• Any resulting oversight committee needs to be recognized by the cognizant vice presidents and deans; activities within colleges and units may be directed towards the committee for consultative purposes.
  
  With the increase of technology use in the classroom and throughout academics, there is a need to work with other technology focus groups and Administrative planning groups across campus to explore technology needs and solutions. Approaches should be explored that enable discovery of initiatives and oversight of the various groups on campus so that a central focus is available for review, planning, coordinating, and implementation.
   
• Renovations around campus seem, at times, to be haphazard and there is no central process through which decisions for technology are made. A review committee on campus could recommend technologies and recommend sources of funding. One-time funding is available for technology upgrades but the maintenance and eventual replacement of this technology also needs to be built into the planning cycle.

The following benchmarks will be assessed at appropriate intervals to track sustained service goals, improvements, and achievements towards the above stated initiatives:

• A central clearinghouse for academic technology initiatives does not exist today. Ultimately, the University should embrace and manage its technologies to provide cost-effective, well-supported, environments with clear expectations where University review has been accomplished.
• Unfunded, unsupported mandates diminish and long-term support, administration, and management of academic technologies are available.